French Bull Dog are both tough looking and cute at the same time, but that
cute appearance from the dog's compact nose, comes at a high cost. Several
breeds are bred for a compact nose, including bulldog breeds, Pekinese, Pugs,
Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Boston Terriers, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This kind of a
nose structure often creates a respiratory problem known as Brachycephalic
Syndrome.

The term Brachycephalic comes from Greek roots "Brachy,"
meaning short and "cephalic," meaning head. In dog ownership
terms, this syndrome means the dog may need rushed to a veterinarian's office
because the syndrome results in varying degrees of obstruction to a dog's
airways ranging from noisy breathing to collapse of the larynx.

The upper airway in dogs consists of the nose, sinuses, pharynx, and larynx.
The most common anatomical features that lead to the respiratory difficulties
with this syndrome include an elongated and fleshy soft palate and narrowed
nostrils. Many of the affected dogs also have changes to the larynx structure
and a relatively small trachea as well as membrane sacs of the larynx which are
turned outward.

If you own a less severe Brachycephalic dog, you can find your dog may have
episode where his breathing is challenged, triggering a snuffing and snorting
which can sound like a reverse sneeze. Even with mild cases, the dog often
requires reduced exercise and must be kept from situations where the dog may
overheat. Stress can also bring on an attack. Unfortunately, once the dog begins
to have troubles breathing, the dog can panic, making the episode worst.

The goal in the treatment of Brachycephalic airway syndrome is to make it
easier for the animal to breathe. Surgery often becomes the solution for the
more severe cases. Dr. Jan Jensen, DVM, states she's seen a lot of cases over
the years. She refers the more severe cases out for surgeries which often
require specialized equipment like lasers, which are used to shorten the soft
pallet. For the less severe cases, Dr. Jensen treats with steroids and sometimes
an antihistamine combination, but she states both of those treatment can only be
used short term. Dr. Jensen says that anyone who owns this kind of a breed can
expect issues which are directly proportional to the shortness of the dog's
snout. She recommends the dog owner educate themselves about what can trigger an
episode and what precautions they need to take, such as not letting the dog get
overheated.

For people who want a more holistic approach to resolving milder breathing
issues, Dr. Martin Goldstein who runs a holistic veterinarian practice recommends trying
commercially available cough syrup for people called Olbas, or an a commercially
available herbal expectorant that contains guaifenesin.

Kelly Misegadis bought a Boston Terrier that she affectionately named
Hoosier. Since Kelly teaches agility classes at Bow Wows, she planned on running
Hoosier in agility. Unfortunately, at about six months old, problems with
Brachycephalic airway syndrome began to surface. In no time at all, Hoosier was
having up to four attacks a day when the dog's excitement brought on a
struggle to breathe. During the attack, the dog would get a panicked look and
then seem to struggle all the more.

Kelly's veterinarian worked with Kelly to find a non-medical way to help
Hoosier learn to breathe when these episodes came on. The vet taught Kelly how
to plug Hoosier's nose, to force the dog to breathe though his mouth. Since
calming down was also a key factor, Kelly was told to use a calming technique of
stroking the dog's neck. Kelly found out what many Brachycephalic dog owners
quickly learn, that getting the dog into a relaxed state of mind can help stop
an episode, however, if the dog doesn't relax, the dog can panic and the
problem can self-perpetuate.

Kelly wanted Hoosier to learn how to get his episodes under control by
de-stressing as quickly as he became stressed. Since Kelly had just read Turid
Rugaas's book, calming signals, Kelly came up with a way to teach Hoosier a
hands-off technique to get him to calm down during an attack, one which
eventually worked much better than stroking under the dog's neck.

Kelly began with the visual cue of yawning. Since Hoosier had attacks several
times a day, it was a matter of waiting to give this a try. Kelly had already
trained her dog to pay attention when she used his name. When Hoosier had an
episode, Kelly added a verbal command, "Get it together." Then she
began to take deep and slow yawns. After a few yawns, Hoosier's breathing
distress subsided.

The success of this technique was quickly tested. A few hours after Hoosiers
first lesson, Kelly had to leave the dog in her husband's charge to go and
teach an agility class. She showed her husband how to conduct the calming
signal. When she came home hours later her husband excitedly said, "It
works, I can't believe it works."

Kelly needed to perfect her calming signals because she wanted to compete
with Hoosier in agility, and the competition could easily get him excited and
bring on an attack. She added more signals including relaxing her shoulders and
slowing her breathing. She often tipped her head sideways, and made sure she
didn't make eye contact with the dog when she executed the wide-mouth yawn. If
she needed to get Hoosier attention, she'd speak in a lower, calm tone of
voice. If Hoosier didn't "get it together" with a yawn, Kelly would
turn her back to the dog, which is another calming signal.

Hoosier is now five, and last year, he only had two attacks of breathing
distress in which Kelly had to assist the dog with calming signals. Not only has
Kelly's biofeedback technique for control of this condition allowed Hoosier to
escape his four episode a day life, the dog has actually learned how to defuse
the situation himself. Even though most dogs who have this issue need to avoid
exercise, Kelly's biofeedback techniques have allowed Hoosier to excel in
agility. By the age of four, Hoosier earned his MACH, one of the highest awards
in AKC agility. At the typing of this article, Hoosier is on his way to the
Purina Incredible Dog Challenge showing the world what a true champion he is.